Grace: The History of Black Churches in Cambridge

Making History Together

The Grace Exhibit is made possible by the generous work of  community curators: Chandra Salvi Harrington, Deacon Cheryl Maynard, Dr. Janie Ward, Dr. Kris Manjapra, Jada Simmons Ononeme, Lynette Riley-Belle, Patricia Weems, Reverend Dr.  Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, Reverend Dr. Ellis I. Washington,  Reverend Lorraine Thornhill, Sister Danita Callender, and Valerie Beaudrault, in fellowship with church congregations across the city. We would like to thank our generous sponsors for the tremendous support and incredible platform to connect, share, and learn:  BXP, Cambridge Arts, The Cambridge Historical Commission, The Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and The Office of Mayor E. Denise Simmons.

 

Community Curators  

Chandra Salvi Harrington 

Deacon Cheryl Maynard 

Dr. Janie Ward 

Dr. Kris Manjapra 

Jada Simmons Ononeme 

Lynette Riley-Belle 

Patricia Weems 

Reverend Dr. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes 

Reverend Dr. Ellis I. Washington 

Reverend Lorraine Thornhill 

Sister Danita Callender 

Valerie Beaudrault  

 

Churches

Abundant Life Church 

St. Augustine’s African American Orthodox Christian Church 

Cambridge Community Outreach Tabernacle 

Christian Mission Holiness Church  

Kingdom Empowerment Center 

Massachusetts Avenue Baptist Church 

North Cambridge Community Church 

Pentecostal Tabernacle 

Rush Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church 

St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church 

Union Baptist Church 

Western Avenue Baptist Church  

Sponsors

BXP 

Cambridge Arts 

Cambridge Redevelopment Authority 

The Cambridge Historical Commission 

The Office of Mayor E. Denise Simmons 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology  

 

Cambridge Museum of History & Culture  

Mayor E. Denise Simmons, Founder 

Neal Alpert 

Collyn Stephens 

Sophie G. Young 

Stacey Miguel 

Suryani Dewa Ayu

 

Your Community Museum Here in Cambridge!

The Cambridge Museum of History & Culture is a community museum dedicated to sharing Cambridge’s storied past in an accessible way with residents and visitors alike. Through diverse educational programming, we strive to encourage curiosity, connection, and community engagement with local history, sharing stories of who we were, who we are, and who we want to be.

 

 

Online exhibit created by Lina Fu and Amber Hayward in collaboration with: